A 22-year-old man was arrested for raping and murdering an eight-year-old girl in a forest area in Assam's Sribhumi district.
The incident took place on Wednesday when the accused lured the girl to a forest area near her home.
According to the police, the minor girl had been missing since 10 am. When she did not return home, her family members began searching for her in nearby areas. Soon, they found her lifeless body in a forest hillock near their residence, officials said.
"From the preliminary investigation, we have found that an 8-year-old girl who has been missing since 10 am today was allegedly raped and murdered. Her body has been found in the nearby forest area. Her body has been sent for postmortem," Sribhumi Additional Superintendent of Police, Trinayan Bhuyan, said.
A case was filed in the incident.
Locals found the accused and handed him over to the police, sources said.
According to the locals, despite informing the police personnel of the Madanmohan Patrol Post - located barely 300 metres from the crime scene - about the incident, they failed to reach the spot immediately. The agitated residents then staged a road blockade on the Chargola-Hailakandi connecting road, demanding swift action against the accused and accountability for the alleged police inaction.
A large contingent of police from the district headquarters later reached the area and brought the situation under control.
Senior police officials subsequently ordered the closure of the Madanmohan Patrol Post in charge, Mohan Lal Das, pending further action over the alleged negligence.
"We have arrested the accused and started our interrogation. The accused took the minor to the forest area by luring her. The minor was raped, and at last she was murdered by the accused. We have started an investigation and will take all possible steps so that the accused gets stringent punishment," Bhuyan said.
